


Be Careful What You Wish For

by Audrey_Lynne



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: (you can sing that to the tune of baby shark btw), Accidental Baby Acquisition, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Duck Twin bonding, Episode: s03e02 Quack Pack! (Disney: DuckTales 2017), Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Honorary Duck Family Member Webby Vanderquack, Older Sibling Huey Duck, One Big Happy Family, Parent Donald Duck, The Author Regrets Nothing, and Launchpad too, baby ducks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26093827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Audrey_Lynne/pseuds/Audrey_Lynne
Summary: AU - What if Della had found the lamp in "Quack Pack" instead of Donald?  She wishes for a second chance to raise Huey, Dewey, and Louie...but the devil's in the details, and things don't go quite the way she planned.McDuck & Co. certainly have their own, unique "normal," and the family's about to get even bigger.
Relationships: Bentina Beakley & Della Duck & Donald Duck, Della Duck & Dewey Duck & Donald Duck & Huey Duck & Louie Duck, Della Duck & Donald Duck, Della Duck & Donald Duck & Scrooge McDuck, Della Duck & Scrooge McDuck, Dewey Duck & Huey Duck & Louie Duck, Dewey Duck & Huey Duck & Louie Duck & Webby Vanderquack, Donald Duck & Scrooge McDuck, Lena (Disney: DuckTales) & Violet Sabrewing & Webby Vanderquack
Comments: 16
Kudos: 66





	1. Quack Pack

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all! This AU idea wouldn't let me rest until I'd gotten it started, so here it is. Don't worry - I'm still working on the next part of It's Always Duckest Before Dawn, too. The good news is, I just finished my masters' degree, so I've got more time to work on stuff (woo-hoo!).
> 
> Also, thanks to my small but mighty tumblr crew for encouraging my nonsense. I hang out there under hearmeouteliza, if you're interested.
> 
> (Standard disclaimer: The opening dialogue in this chapter comes from the episode "Quack Pack," and isn't mine.)

* * *

“Finch’s journal says the lost lamp of Collie Baba is here!” Huey was in his element, flinging whatever he could grab with one hand at the scorpions on the floor below them while glancing around for more projectiles. So far, it only seemed to be making the scorpions angry, rather than dispersing them, but it was the best plan they had at the moment. The pedestal they were on was getting lower by the moment.

“How many lamps did this jerk _have_?” Honestly, enthusiasm from Louie at a time like this would have been unexpected; Della did her best to hide a smirk as she lobbed a stone at another group of scorpions.

“All we have to do is beat the scorpions, survive the gauntlet, and travel four days through the desert on foot!” When Webby put it like that, it almost sounded like fun. Of course, for this family, it _was_ fun.

…Well, at least to _most_ of the family. Donald groaned, scowling as one adventurous scorpion got too close for comfort before Launchpad whacked it with a rock. “I wish we could just have normal family problems.”

Louie might have agreed with him, if he’d been paying attention to anything other than his game, but Della just laughed as she dove to grab another rock. “Ah, come on – you know you love it.”

“I do not,” Donald insisted, but he was back on his feet, continuing to supply the kids with projectiles.

“Take that, you audacious arachnids!” Scrooge shouted as he hit a couple more of the advancing scorpions with his cane. It warmed Della’s heart; this was one of the kind of adventures she’d dreamed about being able to go on with her whole family someday, and now here they were.

As Della stood up after grabbing another couple of inexpensive-looking baubles – they were running out of rocks, and had Webby just thrown a _sword_ at the scorpions? – her prosthetic foot got tangled up with one of the necklaces that was lying about. She lost her balance, falling backwards and skidding a few feet, groaning in annoyance as she pulled yet another of Collie Baba’s many lamps out from underneath her. The lamp shook in Della’s hands, eventually disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke.

“Shablooey!” A gaudily-dressed genie (but, really, was there any other kind?) appeared before Della, and she blinked in surprise. Time seemed to have slowed down around them, but Della didn’t know if that was her perception or the genie’s doing. “My name is Gene, and your wish is my command.”

“Wow.” Normally, this sort of thing would have thrilled Della, but there was a lot going on at the moment. “All those years I spent rubbing useless lamps, and I finally manage to butt-dial a real genie by accident.”

Gene stood perched on the edge of the pedestal; of course, the potential drop was probably of no concern to him. He winced as a scorpion managed to scale the edge and nip at his shoe. With a flick of his wrist and a smaller puff of smoke, the scorpions were gone. “Consider that a freebie. I _hate_ creepy-crawlies.”

“Um, thanks.” Well, that was one concern handled; once the pedestal touched ground, they no longer had to worry about being stung to death.

“So, what’s your first wish?” Gene glanced at Della expectantly. “You get the standard three.”

“You really know how to put a girl on the spot, huh?” Della frowned; so many of the things she’d have wished for in her youth didn’t seem to matter anymore. There was one thing she could really think to ask for, and it was the same wish she’d been making privately for the past eleven years. Once she realized that, the decision was easy. “I wish I had a second chance to raise my boys.”

“Ooh, good one.” Gene nodded, then bowed dramatically. “Your wish is my command.”

Another cloud of purple smoke later, and Della found herself falling face-forward into the coins beneath her feet. Both Webby and Donald squawked in alarm, and the others were saying something she couldn’t make out. She felt so _strange_ ; something was definitely different. As Della reoriented herself, she heard Donald freaking out nearby, calling the boys’ names.

Once she managed to sit up, Della yelped in surprise, realizing what had changed. She could feel the two eggs settled low in her hips, and the pressure of what she knew now was a third pressing against her spine. Judging by the feel – and her expanded waistline – they were due to be laid any day now. This was definitely how she’d felt in the days before the triplets' eggs had arrived, but…they were nowhere in sight, and Webby was still here, so this wasn’t the past, and… “Oh, no. No, no, no…that wasn’t a monkey’s paw; this isn’t what I meant!”

“What do you mean?!” Donald whipped around, his feathers ruffled in rage, but then he froze as he looked over Della. “What did you do? Where are the boys?” His last two questions were somewhat calmer, but not by much.

“Um…here, I think,” Della replied, touching her waist. She glanced around, groaning as the pedestal shook upon touching the ground and the vibration shot a bolt of pain up her spine. “Help me find that stupid lamp. I have to get that idiot genie back here to fix this!” The others were staring, and she was well aware of that, but Della didn’t care as long as she found the lamp – and she was remembering how limited her mobility had become when she was this far along.

“What did you even wish for?!” Donald demanded, though he was at least helping her look. 

“Not this!” Della insisted – though, technically, she supposed she _had_ failed to be specific. She sighed. “I asked for a second chance to raise the boys. I thought I’d go back so I wouldn’t get on the Spear, or maybe I’d get through the cosmic storm, or…I don’t really know what I expected, but this wasn’t the plan.”

Donald blinked in surprise, but he softened visibly. “Does anything ever go according to plan around here?” he asked darkly.

Technically, this was one way for Della to get what she wanted, but it was a pretty terrible one. Her boys’ lives, their existences, had just blinked out and been reset. “Let’s just find that lamp. I still have two wishes, and I know exactly what the next one’s going to be.”

“Is this it?” Webby bounded over, holding out a lamp. Thankfully, it was the right one, with the same dent in the handle Della had noticed.

“Yes! Thank you!” Della patted Webby’s head affectionately, then rubbed the lamp. Gene appeared with his previous flair, and Della grabbed him by the vest. “Hey, buddy! I need you to bring my boys back here, now!” Before he could waste any time by asking, she added, “And, yes, that’s my wish!”

Gene grinned. “You wish; I deliver. Shablooey!” 

When the smoke dissipated this time, Huey, Dewey, and Louie blinked back into existence, looking confused but no worse for the wear.

“Um…hey, guys.” Louie waved as he realized everyone was looking at them, seconds before he and his brothers got scooped up by Donald. Della moved to join the hug, but it only took her a moment to realize one thing hadn’t changed. She was still _very_ gravid.

Donald glanced her direction. “Um, Della…?”

“Yeah, trust me, I’m aware.” She could hear the boys’ questions starting, but she turned to glare at Gene, who was still hanging out. “What’s the big idea, wise guy?”

“I granted your wish!” Gene insisted. 

“Only technically!” Della argued. “I asked you to reset everything, not make me a mother of _six_!”

Gene shrugged. “Hey, that’s not my fault. You said you wanted your boys back, not that you wanted to undo your last wish. How was I to know that’s what you meant? You still have one more wish, though.”

Della sighed, a hand going to her face. Just her luck. This genie was apparently very literal, very devious, or very stupid. She wasn’t sure which, and while she had her boys back – the most important part – that still didn’t solve the current situation. “Ugh, _fine_.” It wasn’t fine, really, but she realized she’d have to pick her next and last wish extremely carefully. It would be easy enough to undo everything and go back to the way things were before she’d fallen on the lamp, but was that the best way to go?

In theory, these eggs were probably genetically identical to Huey, Dewey, and Louie – or very similar, at least. That begged a whole host of questions. Wishing them away would be simple, but would they just pop out of existence or would they go somewhere else? How had Gene even conjured them? Were they from another timeline? Even thinking about it briefly made her head hurt. She’d been adventuring too long _not_ to consider those questions; since Gene had gone and made this complicated already, Della had no reason to assume anything else wouldn’t be. “Okay, let me spell this out before I actually make any wishes. What I _meant_ was for you to send me back to before my kids hatched, so I could stop myself from getting on that rocket – at least until later, when we had a plan. Can you do that without creating any weird paradoxes?” Well, other than the ones she was currently carrying…

Gene shook his head. “Sorry, no can do. It’s one of the Big Three.”

“The what now?” Della asked.

“The Big Three – the three things we genies can’t do,” Gene explained. He ticked them off on his fingers as he spoke. “We can’t kill anyone, we can’t bring anyone back to life, and we can’t change the past. A lot of people think ‘no making anyone fall in love’ is one of them, but it’s really more of an ethical guideline most of us follow.”

“Oh.” Well, there went that plan. Now Della had to decide – did she want to undo everything? Or did she want to take this second chance, even if it wasn’t the one she’d been asking for? It would have been an easier choice had there only been one, but when had she ever done things in small measures? She would still have her boys, but also a chance to experience motherhood from the beginning – and Donald would get to _just_ be an uncle, the way he’d planned, though she suspected he’d still be just as protective. But did that open up a Pandora’s box of issues? Would Huey, Dewey, and Louie feel replaced by the new ducklings? That was the last thing she wanted. Would the new babies feel like they had to be just like their older brothers? How similar _would_ they be? Part of parenthood was stepping forward, bravely, into the unknown, but…would three new family members make things better, or destroy what they already had? 

Della glanced toward the boys, wanting to involve them in this decision, but they seemed frozen – in fact, everyone around them did. She raised an eyebrow at Gene. “What is this, some ‘you have to make this choice for yourself’ business? Is that in your rulebook, too?”

Gene nodded. “It’s not one of the rules, but…it seems like a good idea. You’re the one who’s going to have to deal with most of this if you go ahead, and that still leaves you with one wish.”

Della frowned. If she wished to undo everything, it would be a weird hiccup in the scheme of things, but she still felt this wasn’t her choice alone to make. Acting impulsively had gotten her into enough messes that her family had to deal with. “I can’t choose until I talk to the boys.” She waved her hand dismissively at him. “It’s not like you’ve got any place to be, right?”

“You don’t know that,” Gene countered, but he snapped his fingers and the triplets unfroze. They rushed to her, all asking questions at once.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Della held up her hands. “I’ll explain, and if you have any more questions, we can get to them one at a time. Long story short, genies are either really dumb or really literal.” She ignored Gene’s noise of protest. “And, um, as you can see, we’ve got a chance to either expand the family or I can just have Sparkles here undo it all and we go back to the way things were before – I mean, literally, five minutes ago. I know it’s a lot to ask without much time to take it in, but how do you guys feel about being big brothers?”

“And I don’t have to be the middle child anymore?” Dewey asked. “Um, _yes_!”

“You’ll always be _our_ middle child,” Louie teased. He frowned at Della, then tentatively reached out to touch her waist. “I mean…it could be kind of cool. I’d always wondered what having a little brother or sister would be like. Webby’s great and all, but she sure doesn’t do what I tell her to.”

Della laughed; she was sure he knew there was no guarantee any of his potential siblings would either, but it wouldn’t hurt to let him have his fantasies. “Seriously, guys, this is gonna change things – a lot. At least when they’re little.” Though more for her than them, she supposed; they’d still be able to continue adventuring regularly. And she wouldn’t have to give it up forever, just put it on the back burner for a little while. Besides, with the Moonlanders on Earth now, there were plenty of adventures to be had at home.

“There’s always an adjustment period when a new member joins the family,” Huey said, thoughtfully, “and I’d guess more so in this case, but…honestly, it sounds like a pretty great deal. That is, if that’s what _you_ want.”

The more she thought about it, the more she did. Della smiled, blinking back the tears that sprang to her eyes, and hugged the three of them. “Okay. So…let’s do this.” When she let go, the boys froze in place again, and Gene floated around to hover in front of her. “All right, I’m ready to make my last wish.” His eyebrows rose expectantly, and she smiled. “I want all my kids to have the chance to be individuals, no matter how they got here.”

Gene chuckled. “That’s as much on you as it is on me, but…shablooey.”

When the purple haze faded once more, everything snapped back to life. The scorpions were still gone, fortunately, leaving them safe until they ventured further into the cave. Scrooge glanced around, looking understandably baffled, especially as his gaze fell on Della. “What in the Dismal Downs is going on here?”

Della sighed, sitting down on a nearby treasure chest. “Remind me to add genies to the list of supernatural entities that should be engaged with caution.”  
  


* * *

Naturally, Della’s current condition had thrown a wrench into the adventure. She felt a little bad about it, but no one seemed to mind – even Huey, who had been the most enthusiastic for this one, insisted they could always come back. Della had offered to let them go on ahead; she didn’t mind waiting with the plane, but she hadn’t even been able to finish her sentence before that was vetoed. They were going to face this new, unexpected adventure together. 

She hadn’t known she was expecting triplets the first time. She’d been sure she was having twins and that the constant pressure against her back was just one of the discomforts of carrying two large eggs. (Of course they’d taken after the McDuck family in size; big eggs were common in that clan.) It hadn’t been until they were actually delivered that she realized what she’d been feeling was Louie (she’d been calling him Rebel at the time, but it was him). At least now she knew to expect three, and only time would tell who that little pain in her back was going to become this time. She certainly wasn’t looking forward to going through the delivery again, but at least she had an idea of what she was in for.

Once they were home, Scrooge immediately suggested one of the spare rooms in particular as a nursey, and Della and Donald exchanged smiles – it was the same one they’d been planning to make the boys’ nursery, before everything went wrong. Della knew Scrooge had gotten rid of most of the baby paraphernalia after Donald left, but she decided to take a look at the room to see what work it needed – and she gasped when she opened the door. It was a perfect, gorgeous nursery, decorated in jewel tones – orange, purple, and turquoise. There were three cribs, each with piles of toys beside it – though some of the toys seemed to have come from 90’s TV shows. Tears sprang to Della’s eyes – again – as she reached for a note that was on the dresser nearest the door. 

_Another freebie. I’m a sucker for babies. Good luck!_

_\- Gene_

A sharp pain in her side nearly took her breath away. She’d known it would be starting soon, but she’d thought there might be a bit more time to adjust. Good thing Gene had taken care of the nursery. Della groaned, heading for her bedroom. It was going to be a long night – but as long as these eggs arrived safely, it would be worth it.

* * *


	2. What's in a Name?

* * *

A grandmother’s intuition rarely failed her. The household had been understandably abuzz with the most recent developments, but Beakley had noticed that one person had been conspicuously absent.   
It was certainly understandable if Della needed some alone time to process everything, but Beakley thought it would be a good idea to check up on her anyway.

Sure enough, there was a reason Della had slipped away from everyone else. After making certain Della was all right for the moment, Beakley moved to the kitchen, where Scrooge and Donald were talking over their nutmeg tea and coffee respectively.

Scrooge laughed. “Aye, your sister’s certainly about to have her hands full, but I’m sure it’s nothing Team Uncle can’t help out with.”

Donald nodded. “We’ve got this.”

“Seems like you’ll have a few more ‘normal family problems’ around here for a bit,” Scrooge observed, his beak turning upward in a wry grin.

Donald sputtered, nearly choking on his coffee. “You heard that?!”

As entertaining as it might have been to remain in the doorway and let them continue, Beakley had come down here with news; there was no reason to beat around the bush. She smiled as she walked in. “Della’s in labor.” 

“What?!” they both squawked, nearly in unison.

Beakley shrugged. “It was only a matter of time.” Especially with as far along as Della had seemed to be. “There’s no need to panic; she’s doing well.” She smiled at Donald. “She’s asked for you.” Donald didn’t have to be asked twice; he was out the door in a moment.

“You’re awfully calm about this,” Scrooge pointed out, chuckling quietly as Beakley moved Donald’s cup to the sink and began preparing a cup of tea for herself.

She glanced back at him over her shoulder. “I’m a grandmother. This isn’t my first rodeo, as they say.” She joined Scrooge at the table, curling her hands around her teacup as it steeped. “Besides, the first step to keeping the children from fretting is to keep yourself from fretting.” She’d been working as Scrooge’s personal assistant when the triplets were born, but had only been partially retired from S.H.U.S.H., so she wasn’t living at the mansion full-time. Duckworth had kept her updated when she was away, however. “I know she had a difficult labor with the boys, but she also hadn’t known she was having triplets. And the first one is typically the longest, anyhow. She’ll be fine, and if there are problems, the hospital is nearby.”

Scrooge nodded. “You’re right. If she and Donald got through it the first time with no idea what to expect, things should be smoother this time around. Still, I’ll feel better when the wee ones are safely here.”

“That’s only natural,” Beakley agreed. She sipped at her tea, enjoying these few moments of calm before they updated the children. Fortunately, as long as the adults stayed calm, they were likely to be more excited than worried. That wouldn’t make keeping them occupied – or getting them to bed – any easier, though… 

* * *

The last of the eggs had arrived in the early hours of the morning, and Della had fallen asleep shortly after. Just like before… Donald smiled, nestling the youngest in their own blanket before kissing his twin’s forehead. “You did great, Dells.” This certainly brought back memories, the start of another exciting adventure – the kind he could get behind. The blankets were orange, purple, and turquoise this time rather than red, blue, and green, but the feelings were all the same. 

The three cribs were nice, but if these babies were anything like their older brothers once they hatched, they’d all want to sleep in the same one anyway until they were a little older. Come to think of it, Grandma Duck had mentioned that Donald and Della always insisted on sharing a crib as babies as well. There was something about that bond that couldn’t be put into words. And, as much as the boys had helped to fill the hole in his heart that had been left when Della disappeared, he was looking forward to a chance to try things the way they’d planned – him helping her figure out motherhood. At least this time, he’d be able to lend the wisdom of experience, and help her not to freak out if any of these eggs followed in Louie’s footsteps and took their sweet time hatching. (Oh, who was he kidding? He’d be freaking out, too, but at least he’d know that it would probably be all right.)

The thought of seven kids was a lot, but least the older four were able to help out and take care of some of their own needs. And they weren’t exactly on their own, like he’d been, even if it was by choice. For once, despite his bad luck and Della’s own version of it, Donald was sure things were going to be okay. At least as far as the children were concerned.

Della shifted in her sleep, curling closer around the eggs, and Donald took a moment to make sure all four of them were settled before stepping out to update the rest of the family.

* * *

Fortunately, Della had managed to get a few hours of sleep before the kids woke at the crack of dawn, eager for news – and to meet their unhatched siblings. Donald and Scrooge were happy to bring them in, and Della’s grin as all of the kids climbed onto the bed with her and the eggs melted Donald’s heart even further. 

Webby held back, giving the triplets the first shot at greeting the little ones, but she didn’t need much encouragement before she joined in, blowing each of them a kiss as their brothers sorted out the important details – which sibling matched their own birth order. Huey, of course, cheerfully reminded them all that this only further secured his place as the oldest, while Louie and Dewey compared the color-coded blankets to their own preferred colors. 

“No, no, no – teal is blue and green, and this color is more of a turquoise, which is green and blue,” Louie insisted. “And since this one is the youngest, clearly they’re my minion.”

“That’s – is there even a difference?” Dewey protested. “I mean, us middle kids gotta stick together, but that’s like saying purple is red and blue!”

“Purple _is_ red and blue,” Huey reminded him.

“That’s not what I meant!”

Della leaned up against Donald’s side as he sat on the bed next to her. “Guys…none of them are your ‘minions.’”

“Unless they want to be?” Louie asked hopefully.

“Fine, unless they want to be.” Della shook her head, chuckling softly, and looked up at Donald. “Should we tell them?”

It might have sounded like a vague question to anyone else, but Donald knew exactly what she meant. “Don’t you dare. At least…not yet.” He was enjoying this too much. The truth was, Nana McDuck had knitted red, blue, and green blankets the last time they were in Dismal Downs, before the boys hatched, because she was worried about the eggs getting cold with the castle’s drafts. Della had randomly given each of the boys a blanket, before it occurred to Donald that color-coding the triplets when they were little might be helpful. As they got older, they’d taken to their signature colors and had embraced them; Donald would have been more than willing to let them pick something else or abandon the color scheme altogether. But it was charming, particularly since the boys seemed to have assigned some significance to it – even if their colors were as much due to chance as their siblings’.

“Ooh, what are their names?” Webby asked.

Donald glanced at Della. He trusted that she wasn’t going to reuse Jet, Turbo, and Rebel – especially since Dewey had put a claim on using Turbo as one of his middle names. Still, those had been the _best_ of her prospective names. He loved his sister dearly, but naming things wasn’t one of her strong suits. She’d called one of Grandma’s barn cats “Cat” once. “Did you have any ideas yet?”

Della smiled at the boys. “Actually, I was hoping you guys would want to pick out names for them.”

Huey’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Della nodded. “Yeah. Of course, I’ll have veto power if it’s too out there…”

Donald snorted to himself at the irony of that – apparently, her names hadn’t been too “out there” – but his smile widened as Louie immediately looked at Dewey with that statement, who nudged him in return. He did like the idea, though; it’d help the boys feel more involved, and hopefully ease some of the adjustment once their siblings had hatched and were demanding attention rather than being cute little eggs. (Though Della probably didn’t consider the eggs all that little.)

“They’ll probably need your help,” Della told Webby, reaching out to ruffle her hair fondly. “I’m sure you have a baby name book somewhere, right?”

“I do!” Webby confirmed, grinning widely. “Oh, this’ll be so much fun. Should we pick something gender-neutral for now, or are you going to find out if they’re boys or girls? Not that it really _means_ we’re right, of course, but it’s a place to start.”

“Agreed.” Della smiled. “They all seem healthy, but we’re doing a scan to be sure – and, yes, we’ll find out.”

After the kids had scampered off in search of the baby name book, Donald did have one more question. He’d found himself starting to assume these new triplets would be boys, perhaps because of how they’d come to be, but Della didn’t seem as sure. “What _was_ your third wish?”

“That they’d all have a chance to be individuals – the boys included,” Della said, gasping happily as Donald hugged her. She snuggled into his embrace, gazing at her youngest three. “He said it was on me as much as him, which makes sense, but now I’m hoping he had some power to guarantee they’re not just smaller carbon copies.”

Honestly, that thought was a relief. Donald hadn’t realized how worried he was about how awkward that might be until it was on the table. “Let’s hope.” He patted each of the eggs affectionately. “It’ll be nice to just be an uncle with these three.”

Della snorted. “We’ll see how long that lasts.”

“What?” Honestly, she probably wasn’t wrong, but Donald had to offer at least a token protest.

“You were always the dad friend,” she replied, resting her head on his shoulder. “I mean, you were even fussing over Feathry when we were, like, seven.”

Well, she definitely wasn’t wrong. Donald shrugged. “I guess it’s just who I am.”

“Yup,” Della agreed. “And believe me, I’m happy to have you along for the ride.”

Donald was worried that telling her he felt the same might sound accusatory somehow, especially since they’d found themselves in this situation due to Della trying to fix her previous mistakes. Perhaps he was overthinking it, but rather than risk ruining a tender moment, he merely nodded. “I’m happy to be here.”

* * *

The scans had been a relief in more ways than one, and not just because Gyro had sent Fenton over to do them; he had a much better bedside manner. Most importantly, the babies were healthy – but, also, the scans revealed that while these triplets _were_ identical, they were no more genetically similar to their brothers than any other siblings who shared the same parents. They were also girls. Della was grateful, choosing not to think too hard about how Gene might have made that happen – sometimes, it was best not to question magic.

With Donald watching the eggs at the moment, Della wandered down to Webby’s room, where the kids – plus Violet and Lena – were still pouring over baby names. Lena, in typical teenage fashion, was draped over Webby’s bed, pretending not to care but clearly playing attention, while Violet was apparently trying to help Dewey narrow down his options. Huey had declared he’d come to a decision, but wouldn’t reveal the name he’d chosen for the oldest girl until his brothers picked their names. Louie seemed to have made up his mind but was also keeping it to himself – if anyone asked, he insisted he was naming the youngest girl “Louise.” So it was up to Dewey, though there was no big rush. There was still plenty of time before they hatched, and the eggs were doing just fine being called “sweetie” or various other endearments for now.

“What about Darcy?” Violet suggested, and Della had to clench her beak to keep from laughing. “It’s literary, and a bit pretentious for a male, but quite sporty for a girl.”

Huey and Louie burst out laughing, while Dewey made a face, shaking his head firmly. “Um, that’s the name of our sperm donor, so _no_.” Well, that was one of the nicer ways Della could think of to refer to him; Della hadn’t heard from him since she told him he was going to be a father.

Violet merely nodded, crossing “Darcy” off the list she’d made with her usual, calm composure. “Duly noted.

Della considered joining them officially, but she didn’t want them to feel pressured; they were obviously doing fine without her for the moment. Things seemed to be going well for now, though she was sure there would be more of a rollercoaster ahead, once there were babies to feed, diapers to change, and older siblings who still needed attention. The initial shock was beginning to wear off and thinking about all the what-ifs at once threatened to overwhelm her, so Della tried to focus on the positives. 

About an hour later, after Lena and Violet had departed to have dinner with their dads, Webby and the boys piled into the nursery. Della had started to doze off in the rocking chair with the two older eggs in her lap, while Donald read a book to the youngest, as he’d done with the boys years ago. The kids had their instant attention, though, and their obvious excitement was contagious.

“We’ve decided!” Dewey announced, bounding over to Della and nudging the purple blanket aside to place his hands on his sister’s egg. “I will call you…Samantha.” He said it so dramatically that Della looked at him, waiting for an explanation that she thought would follow, but Dewey just shrugged. “What? It’s a cool name. We can call her Sammy.”

“I like it.” Della nodded, repeating the name as the little duckling squirmed within her shell. “Samantha. I think she likes it, too.”

At that, Louie looked at Donald. “You never asked me about ‘Llewellyn.” 

Donald frowned, but his annoyance was clearly for show. “What? It’s a classic Welsh name!”

“What was wrong with Louis?” Louie asked.

“Technically,” Huey pointed out, “Louis is the French form of a Latinized version of Ludwig, so you could have—”

“Okay, okay!” Louie cut him off. “Llewellyn’s great. It’s fine.” He hopped up into Donald’s lap, next to the egg, giving his sister a gentle pat. “Anyhow, you’re Lottie. It’s short for Charlotte. Cool? Cool. You’re welcome. Uncle Donald probably would’ve called you Guinevere or something.”

“Hey!” Donald protested, but he was smiling as he ruffled Louie’s hair.

True to form, Louie had been casual, Dewey was impulsive, and Della expected Huey would be more methodical. She wasn’t disappointed. “So, we were following Finch’s journal when we ended up on that adventure in the first place, and we wouldn’t have had little sisters without that, so I thought Isabella would be perfect. Besides, even without the history, she’s a perfect role model.”

“I’m still gonna call her Izzy,” Louie told him.

Huey shrugged. “That’s fair.”

“Izzy, Sammy, and Lottie.” Della grinned. “I love it.”

“Me too,” Donald agreed.

“Me three!” Webby cheered as the boys high-fived each other, then her, before they hurried off to update Scrooge.

Donald chuckled as they left, tucking Lottie securely back into her blanket. He’d always worried about the boys getting too cold, too, even tucking extra heat packs into their carriage. Della had loved to tease him about it, that they’d spend their whole lives wearing hoodies (well, one had), but she found it endearing. “Now they just need middle names.”

“Yes, ones that _aren’t_ Dingus.” Della knew why he’d chosen it, but…really? “I _know_ it’s an old McDuck family name, but _Dingus_?”

Donald waved at hand at her. “What, you would have preferred Swamphole?”

Della laughed. “Okay, that’s worse. Though speaking of old family names, you think Downy would work for one of their middle names?” She was leaning toward pairing it with Isabella, since her name already had historical context. As much as she’d loved her mother, she wasn’t going to saddle any of these girls with Hortense for a middle name. 

“Perfect.” Donald looked the three of them over, frowning thoughtfully. “Maybe Isabella?”

“Exactly what I was thinking.” Well, that was one settled, and they still had time to decide on the others. Their first names were the most important anyhow. Della settled back into the chair again, closing her eyes. She was still tired, and she knew she’d be well-advised to take advantage of any opportunity she had to rest now, before the girls hatched. 

Donald moved over, taking Izzy and Sammy and settling them with Lottie in the nearest crib. “Go on, get some sleep,” he encouraged her. “You’re gonna need it.”

* * *


End file.
